Certainly, unified fund-raising centralizes the operation and may make it easier to police. Centralization always smooths things, doesn't it? Likely, the sports that draw fewer fans will benefit from shared fund-raising. More popular teams, such as wbb, will no longer need to ask their donors for money for special events, such as the trip in 2004 to a tournament in Hawaii. I've heard that the friends group came up with $30,000 for that trip. Now, just put in the request to the athletic department and hope it passes muster.

Certainly, also, the friends groups can make demands on the players, who already have two full-time jobs, student and athlete. The move to the Cross Center sharply reduced the number of receptions after wbb games because of the CIC fee for such events. Last year, I believe there was only one, on senior day. We had a reception after every game at the Alfond, and members took turns bringing food. Players spoke about the game, fans mingled a bit with players and congratulated kids who had played really well and consoled those who had had a tough game. Last year, both the wine-and-cheese (An Evening with the Black Bears) dress-up event and the end-of-season banquet were canceled. Other than the senior-day post-game reception, Sigi and Sher had no sendoff from the folks who had cheered them on for four years.

Another loss is the years after the kids leave. Last year, at halftime at Lowell, I'm one of about 33 people in the stands. A 30-ish woman came up and asked if I knew who she was. Of course I did. "You're No. 1 (her uniform number)." She was. Melissa Heon, who played 2000-'04 and was a 1,000 point scorer. We used to talk at most receptions, I got to know her parents, who drove up from Somersworth for every home game and got to nearly all the road games. Melissa married her college boyfriend, has two kids, got a doctorate and is practicing in physical therapy. We spent the second half running our mouths, catching up. She asked about my wife because she knew Marilyn had cancer. She asked about some of the current players. We talked a lot about women's sports and the opportunities they create for young women. And so on. Similar encounters have happened with others. Last year, caught up with Monica Peterson (who has a PhD and teaches at the University of the Sciences in Philly) and Kim Corbitt (head of HR for a large hardware wholesaler in Cincinnati).

Almost without exception, these women remember the friends groups fondly even though the mixing was time consuming for them. Almost without exception, they say the friends group and the atmosphere around the program that it helped foster were part of why they chose UMaine. I take it that the experience was similar in some of the other popular sports. I have talked to envious parents of kids on other teams who know of the UMaine group and speak of it with envy. They have said things like, "I wish my daughter got that kind of support. No one even knows her team exists on her campus."

With the friends groups, the boosters and the kids got to know one another as whole human beings, not just as fan and player. I hope that with the centralization of the fund-raising that the athletic department can find a way to restore this kind of personal support and interaction.

Certainly, unified fund-raising centralizes the operation and may make it easier to police. Centralization always smooths things, doesn't it? Likely, the sports that draw fewer fans will benefit from shared fund-raising. More popular teams, such as wbb, will no longer need to ask their donors for money for special events, such as the trip in 2004 to a tournament in Hawaii. I've heard that the friends group came up with $30,000 for that trip. Now, just put in the request to the athletic department and hope it passes muster.

Certainly, also, the friends groups can make demands on the players, who already have two full-time jobs, student and athlete. The move to the Cross Center sharply reduced the number of receptions after wbb games because of the CIC fee for such events. Last year, I believe there was only one, on senior day. We had a reception after every game at the Alfond, and members took turns bringing food. Players spoke about the game, fans mingled a bit with players and congratulated kids who had played really well and consoled those who had had a tough game. Last year, both the wine-and-cheese (An Evening with the Black Bears) dress-up event and the end-of-season banquet were canceled. Other than the senior-day post-game reception, Sigi and Sher had no sendoff from the folks who had cheered them on for four years.

Another loss is the years after the kids leave. Last year, at halftime at Lowell, I'm one of about 33 people in the stands. A 30-ish woman came up and asked if I knew who she was. Of course I did. "You're No. 1 (her uniform number)." She was. Melissa Heon, who played 2000-'04 and was a 1,000 point scorer. We used to talk at most receptions, I got to know her parents, who drove up from Somersworth for every home game and got to nearly all the road games. Melissa married her college boyfriend, has two kids, got a doctorate and is practicing in physical therapy. We spent the second half running our mouths, catching up. She asked about my wife because she knew Marilyn had cancer. She asked about some of the current players. We talked a lot about women's sports and the opportunities they create for young women. And so on. Similar encounters have happened with others. Last year, caught up with Monica Peterson (who has a PhD and teaches at the University of the Sciences in Philly) and Kim Corbitt (head of HR for a large hardware wholesaler in Cincinnati).

Almost without exception, these women remember the friends groups fondly even though the mixing was time consuming for them. Almost without exception, they say the friends group and the atmosphere around the program that it helped foster were part of why they chose UMaine. I take it that the experience was similar in some of the other popular sports. I have talked to envious parents of kids on other teams who know of the UMaine group and speak of it with envy. They have said things like, "I wish my daughter got that kind of support. No one even knows her team exists on her campus."

With the friends groups, the boosters and the kids got to know one another as whole human beings, not just as fan and player. I hope that with the centralization of the fund-raising that the athletic department can find a way to restore this kind of personal support and interaction.

Bob Neal New Sharon

Bob: You make some valid and interesting points about the new UMaine athletic fund raising program.

When I was an AD at a large A now AA school in Maine with an enrollment of over 1400 students I found that having just one group lead to some of the groups that did not raise a lot of money when the sports boosters clubs were separate felt that it was OK to ask for more then they usually raised for projects when it was just one large booster's group instead of the individual boosters club for the different sports. Not many, but a couple.

Too bad that the women's basketball program can't have their after game activities at the CIC as they did when they when they played home games at the Alfond.

How come there is an extra charge and what is the charge to have an after game get together at the Cross Center in Bangor?

Unbelievable that UMaine never had such a get together other post game reception you mentioned after Sigi's last home game there after all she had done for the women's program. Why were those two events cancelled, especially the end of season banquet?

I really appreciate your insight and valuable inside information that you have about UMaine athletics especially the women's basketball program which is and has been one of the most successful, if not the most successful winter sports program at UMaine.

Always great to see your posts and get the information that is available in them. It makes my day(s).